Finding myself: Part animal

I'm a child of impulse. As such I throw cares to the wind. My nature compels me to whimsical and lively activities. Life needs to be lived. Anytime in my life, when I've let an opportunity pass me by, I've looked back with regret. I am finding that although the activities I participate in bring only temporal happiness, by doing them, I become closer to finding my elusive self. These are what makes the road to eternal joy more passable.

Never has there ever been a moment in my life that I haven't wanted to own a horse. As a child I used to watch horses move with amazement. Grace, power, and beauty all mixed into one four-legged creature. They are "the most beautiful, the most spirited and the most inspiring creature ever to print foot on the grasses of America." (1)

kiddo leading Ro...

A 3 year old bay Quarter horse, Ro came to me as a bag of bones with a wild look in her eyes. Because of my starry-eyed ideas of what owning a horse entailed, Ro was given to me for free. I jumped on the chance to own my very own horse. (don't be deceived by the picture...she can be a little snot)

Now...something you need to know about me is...I am weird. To most of you this isn't news. Well as a child, I had a harder time harnessing the weirdness in me. I loved the idea of horses so much, that I contorted my hands into horses. (Middle finger = head and neck. Pointer / ring fingers = front legs. Thumb / pinky = back legs.) And... I became quite proficient at moving around on my hands and knees. I'm well known in the minds of children as the perfect horsey.

My arm and Rikki...

Rikki. My little pal. An Aussie/Lab/Collie mix, she has the same pursuit of happiness that I have always had. Always curious, full of energy, bubbling with happiness, and a natural-born soccer player, Rikki and I get along real swell.

As a side note, I've always been the "Can we keep it Mommy?" type of kid. I brought home frogs, big bugs, hurt birds (doves, hummingbirds), captured rodents, mother-repellent reptiles, scraggly looking stray cats, occasional salamanders, handfuls of potato bugs/millipedes, recovering chickens, you name it. If it crawled, I snatched it up. I had a soft spot in my heart for the homeless animals and still do. To my mother's consternation, I continue to bring home any strays (Ro, Rikki, Red, cats, tried for a baby goat the other day...) that come my way. 

Next time...Looks for myself: Hair Part

Stuff...

1. J. Frank Dobie quoted when writing about mustangs.
2. Picture of my cutsey little brother leading my horse around so I put pics up on FB of her. 
3. I took this picture the first day I brought my little Rikki home.